


Love is Hard to Forget

by nachocheese26



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Gen, Lance has big himbo vibes, Memory Loss, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22857424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nachocheese26/pseuds/nachocheese26
Summary: What if Rapunzel's healing powers didn't work right away in the tower after Gothel stabbed Eugene?The lost princess returns, but it's obvious to all she doesn't want to be there. Because Eugene is gone and she doesn't know how to move on just yet.But what she doesn't know is Flynn Rider is back. And he still wants that crown.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Lance Strongbow, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 50
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! First fic for this fandom and I've had so many different ideas and I'm finally posting one of those ideas. Just before the series ends too 😅
> 
> This takes place directly after the movie but will include characters from the TV series.
> 
> Let me know what you think dear readers!

His body was cold. She didn’t move away. Curled up into his side. She nuzzled his neck, pressed kisses to his cheek, forehead, nose, lips.

He was still cold.

There was a small wet spot developing on his shoulder, where she was resting her head with tears still flowing. She hummed and whispered her song like a mantra.

"Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine."

He was still cold. No matter how much she sang the song.

Pascal gave a soft squeak as he snuggled onto her shoulder, rubbing his nose into her neck in his sign of comfort and affection.

And it was supposed to make her feel less alone.

But instead, another sob escaped her chest and her tears flowed just as heavily as they had when she realized there was _nothing_ she could do.

While she had been pressed against him, trying to warm him back up, get him to open his eyes and pretend she wasn’t lying in a puddle of his blood, a storm had blown in. With winds strong enough she felt the tower swaying just slightly.

She lifted her head to look out the window.

Never before had she seen such a strong thunderstorm.

Lightning flashed, bringing in a quick burst of light into the room. And something glinted in the far corner of the room that caught her eye.

It was the crown.

That crown that brought Eugene here. That crown that belonged to…to her.

The lost princess.

“Did you know it was mine? This whole time, it was mine,” Rapunzel whispered, not lifting her head from his shoulder. “Talk about fate.”

She brought a hand up in an attempt to dry her face and sat up, slowly uncurling himself from his side. She pursed her lips, feeling more tears fall down her cheeks as she stared down at his still face.

He was so pale. Almost as pale as Gothel had been when she-

Rapunzel squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “No. No, no, no, I can’t…” She opened her eyes again and cupped his cold face in her hand. “What am I supposed to do now?”

Because he had been her new dream and now...

She heard Pascal give a soft chirrup. Her eyes followed the sound, seeing him sitting on top of the crown.

She looked back to Eugene. Still not moving. Still cold.

She pretended for just a moment he was asleep or even knocked out by her frying pan again. But this time, his chest didn't move at all. She swallowed hard and gently brushed some hair away from his face. “I can’t just leave him like this.”

Pascal was scurrying back across the room and jumped onto her lap. Out of habit, Rapunzel scooped him up and brought him closer to her face

He rubbed his head against her thumb.

“I know but…what if they don’t believe me? I...my hair was…” she did her best to swallow back her tears. A few still managed to leak out. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at her hair that was spread all over the room. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “I look completely different then when I was a baby.”

Pascal squeaked and shook his head.

Rapunzel looked down at Eugene again, her eyes filling with tears all over again. “But I still can’t just leave him. What am I supposed to do?”

Pascal hopped out of her hands and landed softly on Eugene’s chest. He circled around a little, studiously avoiding the wet spot from Rapunzel’s tears and the deep gash in his abdomen, before settling on the spot right over where he assumed Eugene’s heart was and curled up into a small ball.

Rapunzel managed a small smile for her little friend. “I promise I won’t be gone long,” she said as she gave his head a soft tap.

Then she turned her attention back to Eugene.

So still. So cold.

She swallowed hard, bending down and pressing her forehead against his. “You’ll never stop being my new dream,” she whispered.

Gathering up all her strength, Rapunzel stood. She avoided the glass shards, the puddle of blood, her scattered hair. She grabbed a cloak and slipped it on. The storm had quieted, but it was still raining and it didn’t look like it was clearing up anytime soon.

She took a few steps down the ladder that led to a secret exit Rapunzel hadn't known about until just this morning. Before the room and everything in it could disappear from view though, Rapunzel paused. She stared at Eugene, whispering her song once more.

Nothing happened.

She sniffled, wiping away more tears as she climbed down the ladder and out of the tower.

The grass felt different on her feet this time. Mud squished between her toes and already she could tell that the rain would soak through her cloak.

But she had to go. Because if she went back inside, she would never leave again. She had to go now while she still had a tiny amount of drive.

And while she didn’t necessarily enjoy rainy days, she glad for this one. It could mask her tears that she couldn’t believe she still had.

Once she made it to the small cave that lead out to the rest of the world, she was meet with an excited whinny.

Before she realized what was happening, Max’s nose was pressed against her and Rapunzel had to wrap her arms around the horse to keep her balance. “Max?” she whispered, pulling back only to make sure the horse was actually here.

Max gave a happy snort, but then his eyes immediately softened. Even in the dim lighting of the cave, he could see her bloodshot eyes and red nose.

Then Rapunzel buried her face into his mane and began sobbing all over again. Through her sobs, she managed to get enough of the story out that Max understood exactly what happened.

“I have to go to the castle,” Rapunzel whispered. “I have to tell them who I am and what happened and I…I have to come right back for him.”

Max straightened and gave a quick nod. He lowered himself slightly, making it easier for Rapunzel to mount him, then he took off in the still pouring rain for the castle.

* * *

His eyes flew open and he could feel his chest heaving for air. A bright flashed had filled the room as soon as his eyes opened, but now it was gone and the room was dim. He sat up, squinting and trying to make sense of where he was exactly.

Then he heard squeaking and chittering and he looked down to see a…he guessed it was a frog, jumping and pointing and gesturing with its tiny frog hands.

He reached a hand out to brush the frog away, but then he heard a clattering of chains. He looked down and saw that his right hand had been chained to a post. He gave a small tug. The chain didn’t budge.

“What the hell?”

The frog continued on with its squeaking and was now jumping up and down on his leg.

He grimaced and reached a hand out to brush the frog off of him. And as he did, he noticed the huge stain on his shirt. “Oh come on, it’s going to take forever to get this…wait…is that blood?”

Then he noticed just how much blood he was actually sitting in and a tear in his clothes and he felt his heart drop as he began fumbling with his clasps and pulling his shirt up. He couldn’t feel anything, but why was there so much blood and a tear in his vest and shirt?

There was blood on his abdomen, but no gash. Not even a scratch.

He blinked and slowly nodded. “Okay…so…something _obviously_ happened, but whatever it was, I’m all better now and…” He looked back to the frog who was still squeaking and pointing at a bunch of different things in the room.

At this point, he wasn’t at all concerned with whatever it was the frog was trying to tell him. He could honestly care less. He just needed to figure out what happened and how he even ended up here…wherever here was.

“You know what?” he mumbled to himself and the frog as he began digging around his pocket for his lockpick. “I bet you anything it was those Stabbington’s. I definitely would not put it past them to double cross me. Which to be frank, is such an incredibly rude thing to do! I mean, how could they do that to me? Flynn Rider?!”

The frog turned a light shade of green. Flynn pulled out the small piece of metal and gave him an odd look. “I didn’t realized frogs can change colors.”

To which the frog exploded into a rainbow of colors and patterns and his squeaks grew even more frantic.

Flynn just frowned at him, then proceeded to pick the lock of the chains. “Well you’re an excitable thing, aren’t you?” Then he focused on to the chain around his wrist, smiling triumphantly as it fell away from his wrist. “Ha ha! A record for Flynn Rider. What was it? Ten seconds?”

The frog at this point had calmed down and was looking at Flynn with an unimpressed glare.

“Man, everyone’s a critic nowadays!” Flynn got up and finally gave a look around the room he was in.

And with each passing moment, Flynn’s stomach grew more and more unsettled. “What kind of horror play did those bastards leave me in?” he grumbled, staring in particular at the unnaturally long length of hair that was all over the room.

But Flynn shrugged it all off, knowing he needed to get out of there and catch up to the Stabbington’s. The last thing he remembered was running away from the castle guards, the crown in his satchel.

Everything else was blank.

He filled in the blanks as best he could, going from their plan and the character of the Stabbington’s.

They made it out, found this place and hid out for a while. Then the Stabbington’s probably knocked him out, chained him to this post, and took off with the crown.

None of that explained the hair, the blood, or the frog.

Flynn crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the small animal. “You’ve got an explanation for any of this?”

The frog began bouncing again, squeaking and chittering and turning all kinds of different hues and he was obviously acting something out, pointing at the window, the glass, the hair, the blood.

Flynn was sure it would make quite the story if he understood a single thing the frog was saying.

“Well, guess I’m not finding out what happened until I catch up with those twins.” Flynn started for the ladder that he was sure would lead to the exit.

But then he felt something tugging his shoelaces undone.

It was the frog.

“Hey! Stop that!” Flynn gave his foot a small shake to try and get the frog off.

His reptilian feet held on tighter to the shoelaces.

Flynn let out a groan as his head fell back in exasperation. He counted to three, then threw his hands up in the air. “Fine! You can come with me I guess.”

He turned orange with excitement before climbing up Flynn’s pants and vest and perching himself comfortably on his shoulder.

It happened so fast, Flynn didn’t even have the chance to feel ticklish.

The frog looked at Flynn with a smug look before straightening his body and using one of his limbs to point forward as if he were a hound that caught onto the scent of a fox.

Flynn rolled his eyes. “Whatever, frog. I don’t know where you think I might be taking you, but I’m going to catch up to those Stabington’s. First. I’ve got to meet up with someone that can help me though.”

* * *

By the time Rapunzel made it to the palace, she was soaked through to the bone and shivering uncontrollably. This was her actual first experience _in_ the rain. She didn’t think she wanted to deal with it again.

Things had become hazy as they approached the castle. She remembered Max whinnying his concern as she leaned forward to wrap her arms around his neck to keep her balance. She thought that maybe Max had begun picking up his pace, but she couldn’t tell.

She was only sure of three things. She was cold. Her head felt incredibly light and unbalanced. And Eugene was gone.

She could managed with the first two, but how was she supposed to manage with that last one?

Someone started arguing, she felt a hand on her shoulder and then Max give an angry neigh and she was almost certain he snapped his teeth at someone. Then there was more arguing and Max continued to neigh and whinny and stamp his hooves.

They were moving again and Max’s hooves sounded different and she couldn’t feel the rain anymore and there was actually light now. Rapunzel blinked and saw walls with paintings of figures she couldn’t make out and tapestries of purple and gold.

Finally, Max stopped moving. He turned his head and gave a soft snort and nudged her shoulder. Rapunzel took that as her cue to dismount.

She slid off his back, but immediately had to grab on to him to keep from falling over. She blinked and noticed two figures coming towards her. A man and a woman. They were blurry, no matter how many times Rapunzel blinked.

“Is it really you?” asked a woman.

Rapunzel felt a soft hand cup her face, then her eyes rolled back just before she collapsed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments and all the kudos!!! They make my day and you are all just such wonderful people!
> 
> We'll be moving through different POV's in this story, obviously focusing in on Rapunzel and Eugene, but others will be added. Hope you readers enjoy this new chapter!

There was an usually high amount of guards in the forest. The only explanation Flynn could come up with was that there had been a prison escape.

“But what idiot lets themselves get thrown into prison in the first place, am I right?” Flynn whispered with a grin to the frog as they hide behind a bush while a group of guards passed by them.

The frog stared at Flynn with narrowed eyes and actually pointed at him.

Flynn gaped, placing a hand over his heart. “Me?!” he exclaimed.

“Did you hear that?” a guard asked, pausing just a few feet away from the bush.

Flynn winced, picking up a rock and throwing it as far as he could reach.

The rock landed, rustling branches and leaves as it did.

The guards moved towards the sound, in the opposite direction of Flynn.

Once far enough, Flynn rounded on the frog. “Okay, that looked like you were accusing me of being caught and sent to prison.”

The frog didn't lighten his unimpressed eyes.

Flynn rolled his eyes. “Okay, sure it’s happened a _few_ times. But I’ve always gotten out!” he hissed. He looked up to make sure the guards were far away enough, then began making his way towards a thick area of trees, making sure to still stay out of sight.

The next hour was full of dodging, crouching, squeezing into tight places, holding his breath, and waiting for guards to pass.

Until finally, just when the rain was beginning to soak through his cloak and Flynn worried he might catch a cold, they came to an old abandoned cottage.

Flynn looked around the surrounding area a few times before dashing across the open the field into the cottage.

He closed the door behind him and let out a heavy sigh. “God, I hope there’s food in here somewhere,” he said, taking off his cloak and dropping it over a chair.

He moved to the fireplace, grabbing the flint that was left on the hearthstone, adjusted the firewood that was already there and had a fire going in less than a minute. Another sigh left his mouth, this time much more content as he warmed his hands over the growing flames.

After making sure the fire had enough kindling to not go out, Flynn stood and began rifling through the drawers and cabinets until he finally pulled out some bread.

He smiled at his find, taking a huge bite and immediately grimaced at the staleness. He noticed the frog staring at him with his trademark disapproving look. For a moment, Flynn wondered if the frog has any other looks. So far, he had only seen disapproving and overly excited. There didn't seem to be anything in between.

Flynn swallowed down the bread, taking longer than normal at how stale it was. “Well I’m sorry I didn’t have time to stop by the market and buy fresh supplies while we were dodging the guards. I’m not sharing, by the way, so I have no idea what you’re going to eat.”

Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth, the frog let out his tongue and caught a fly.

Flynn scrunched up his nose, then went back to his bread. "To each his own," he mumbled.

He looked around the cottage as the light from the fire continued to grow. It was his hideout whenever things got too hot. He’d wait out here for a few days, sometimes a couple of weeks, before going off and continuing with whatever (mis)adventure he was in the middle of.

He dragged the chair closer to the fire so his cloak could dry faster, and sat down on the floor, chewing away on the bread. “So here’s the plan,” he said, glancing down at the frog. “We’ll spend the night here, hopefully this rain will have finished by tomorrow morning. Then tomorrow we’ll go to Vardaros, meet up with an associate of mine, then figure out where the Stabbington’s are, steal the crown back, and I'll take off for an island with all the piles of money the crown will go for and we part as unlikely friends.”

The frog squeaked, shaking his head and gesturing wildly again.

Flynn shook his head, trying to swallow some of the bread. "No, I'm not going to share the money with you. You're a _frog_ what could you possibly want with all that money anyways?"

Still the frog continued squeaking and was jumping again.

Flynn frowned as he stared at him. “You don’t like the idea, then feel free to go ahead and just stay behind. You know, I don’t even know why I let you come along. I don’t even know why I’m _talking_ to a frog! Stabbington’s must’ve hit me harder than I thought. I bet you anything it was Sideburns. He’s got a hell of a left hook.”

The frog seemed to take several deep breaths, then went on to whatever explanation he was trying to get across to Flynn, changing from yellow to red to brown to purple with swirls of yellow.

Flynn shrugged. “Yeah, I don’t know what you’re saying.”

The frog sagged.

Flynn let out a breath. “How about this, let’s start with your name. You’ve gotta have one, right? Once I get your name, maybe then I can start understanding what you’re saying.”

The frog jumped twice, his mouth growing wide in a smile as he squeaked something out then stared at Flynn expectantly.

Flynn pursed his lips. “Nope. Didn’t understand a word.”

The frog groaned and dropped his face into the floor.

Flynn actually felt bad for the frog. He set aside the bread, his jaw already exhausted from all the chewing he had to do to make it possible to swallow a piece. “Well, until I can figure out what you’re saying, I’ll just call you…Frog. Deal?”

Frog moaned something into the floor.

“Hey, I could very well not even bother talking to you. In fact, that’s exactly what I normally would do, yet here I am, talking to a frog.”

Frog didn’t lift up his head. But he did lift up a paw and give what Flynn could only assume was his version of a thumbs up.

Flynn got up, Frog either not noticing or caring and grabbed an empty basin. He left it outside for it to fill up with rain water. The basin clinked with rain drops, slowly filling up, Flynn stepped back in. He took off his vest and shirt, planning to get the blood stain out.

As he took off the clothes, he noticed that even his skin had been stained by the blood.

Flynn felt the bread unsettling in his stomach. This was too much blood for him to not even remember what happened.

For a second, he thought that he could actually feel something digging into his abdomen, right where the blood stain was. But it had to be all in his imagination. Because going by all the blood, whatever injury happened had to have been life-threatening.

And he couldn't ever imagine forgetting something like that.

The basin had filled up quickly and Flynn brought it back inside. He dipped his clothes in, saw all the blood that was already mixing with the water, and began scrubbing.

* * *

_His eyes weren't focusing on anything. But he could tell that the yellow that had enraptured his sight was gone now. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine.”_

_Someone was holding his hand. Tiny and soft, pressing it against hair that should've been long. In his fingers, he could already feel the short ends._

_He could barely understand the words. The pain filled every part of him, clouding his thoughts and he couldn’t bring himself to string together a sentence._

_Then he finally managed to say something. A name left his lips. It felt familiar, but for some reason he couldn't actually remember the actual name. Just the feeling of it on his lips. Familiar and warm and wonderful and..._

_The sentence finally escaped. “You were my new dream.”_

_A small sob filled the air. “And you were mine.”_

* * *

Flynn woke with a gasp, shooting straight up as he clutched his side. He couldn't catch his breath and his body was drenched with sweat.

Where the hell had that dream come from?

He rubbed his face and stood up, his skin prickling in goosebumps. The fire had died hours ago and the sun was beginning to break through.

At least, Flynn assumed so. It was still overcast, but at least it wasn’t raining. He grabbed his shirt and vest and pulled them back on. They had dried overnight by the fire. As had the remnants of the blood stain. It didn't look as bad, but it was still noticeable and you could still tell that it was dried blood.

He gathered the rest of his things, noticing Frog looking at him with concern. Flynn didn’t acknowledge him. He wanted to get started on their journey as soon as possible. If he stopped to look at Frog and maybe even ask him why he was looking at him like that, he would end up wasting time deciphering Frog's chirrups and overthinking his dream.

If all went well, they’d make it to Vardaros by tomorrow morning. Reluctantly, Flynn threw in the stale bread. He had gone without eating for days before, but he was never at his best during those times. It was the bread or nothing.

He pulled on his cloak and motioned for Frog to hop on. Frog climbed into Flynn's vest pocket, avoiding the one that was stained.

Flynn swallowed hard as he stared at that stain, pushing away the sensation of something sliding in so easily through his clothes and skin.

Finding new clothes was going to have to be a priority. Only after finding edible food of course.

* * *

“Are you sure it’s her?”

“Didn’t you see her eyes?”

“But…she was _blonde_.”

“Arianna, her _eyes_ …”

“We’ve had other girls claim it before Frederic. How can we know it’s her?”

“Maximus seemed convinced.”

“Maximus is a _horse_.”

“That belongs to the Captain of the Guard. _And_ she had the crown with her."

The voices paused. But Rapunzel wanted to tell them to keep talking. Listening to them made it easier. Because she wasn’t sure if she was awake or asleep or stuck somewhere in between. Whatever state she was in, her dreams and thoughts revolved around one thought.

Eugene.

She should’ve pushed away all the glass. She should’ve stopped Mother before she could get close to him. She shouldn't have believed he left her behind. She shouldn't have gone with Mother.

She shouldn’t have let him die.

“Darling? Can you hear me?”

Something cool was pressed against her forehead. It reminded her of the rain. The rain that never stopped and was so cold and why couldn’t she see the sun anymore?

“Please, Rapunzel, we have to get your fever down...I mean, God, I hope you are Rapunzel...”

The voice was gentle, but something wasn’t right. Because at the same time, she could hear Gothel.

_“Please, Rapunzel.”_

Accusing her, demeaning her, brushing her aside as if she meant nothing. Because her hair was the only thing that was worth something and now without it...

Eugene didn't think so. But he was...

Rapunzel felt a whimper escape her lips as she tried to move away from the coolness. Except something was holding her wrists down. Were those chains again? She tired to open her eyes, but she couldn’t. She didn’t hear the clinking of chains. Maybe it was because there were no chains and her body was just too exhausted to move.

She tried to think of his warmth as they pressed into an alcove while hiding from palace guards with cupcakes in their hands. How he laughed out of joy at discovering just how powerful a frying pan could be. The way his calloused hands perfectly cupped her face. Leaning in so close as if to kiss her…

And he cut her hair and her ability to heal him was gone and he was gone, gone, gone, gone…

* * *

Pascal did _not_ like being renamed Frog. His name was Pascal and he wasn’t going to change it just because Eugene couldn’t understand a word he was saying!

He had even pointed it out so clearly too! After leaving the cottage that morning, they walked around the forest, Pascal assuming (and hoping) Eugene knew exactly where he was going. It stayed cloudy, but at least it wasn’t raining. Pascal didn’t like cloudy days. He couldn’t ever get warm.

So he had curled up safely in Eugene’s vest pocket, making a point of avoiding the one that was still stained with blood, and fell asleep.

Before he knew it, Eugene was pulling him out and setting him down on a table.

There were inside another cottage and Pascal had a feeling this one wasn’t a hideout for Eugene, going by the way he quickly moved through the place and opened drawers and cabinets and rifled through them. All the while pausing to listen and look out the window.

And, by some amazing stroke of luck, there was a pile of books on the table Eugene had set him on, with one of the books written by Blaise Pascal himself. Pascal squeaked his excitement and did everything he could to draw Eugene’s attention to the book and the name and show him the dots and pray Eugene would connect them himself.

“Sorry Frog, but if you’re not pointing out a secret stash of some cheese, then I’m not interested,” Eugene said, not even looking at Pascal as he pulled out a few loaves of bread and stuffed them in a satchel that rested on a shelf.

But Pascal continued doing everything he could to make Eugene look at him. Because if he looked at him and could understand what his name was, then maybe Pascal could explain that they were going in the _opposite_ direction and they needed to go back to Corona, not to steal the crown, but to see Rapunzel because she still thought Eugene was dead.

Pascal hated that his best friend in the whole world was walking around with her heart completely broken because she thought the man standing before Pascal was dead.

Except that wasn’t Pascal’s only problem. Eugene didn’t remember anything. How was Pascal supposed to explain to him when Eugene didn’t even understand him?

Eugene let out a groan. “Great, all the clothes here are either too big or too small,” he said, tossing aside a shirt from a trunk that looked way too small to fit any adult. He stared down at his clothes, specifically the blood stain.

Pascal saw a faraway look in Eugene’s eyes. The same one he had when he woke up gasping that morning. Maybe he was remembering…

But then Eugene pulled on his cloak again, grabbed the satchel and headed towards Pascal to scoop him back up.

“Come on, Frog. We’re actually making good time and I don’t want to end up getting stuck hiding from another group of guards.” Eugene said, placing his hand down for Pascal to climb into.

Except he didn’t, still doing his best to point out the name Blaise Pascal and make Eugene understand that his name was _not_ Frog.

Finally, Eugene took a moment and looked at the page. Pascal kept his hand right under the name, hoping Eugene would read it.

Then Eugene lifted his head, a look of understanding on his face and maybe-

“This is all gibberish to me.”

Pascal felt his entire body slump as he gave Eugene an unimpressed glare.

Eugene just shrugged. “What? If this isn’t going to make us get to Vardaros faster, then I don’t really see the point in me trying to decode all…that,” Eugene said, gesturing vaguely to the open book. “Now come on. You coming or not, Frog?”

Part of Pascal didn’t want to bother anymore. He could make it to the castle himself, tell Rapunzel everything because she would understand him. Then they could come after Eugene, bring him back to the palace, and they would all live happily ever after.

The only problem was Eugene remembered nothing and Pascal had a feeling that if he left Eugene right now, they might never find him again. Because how long had Flynn Rider been evading the guards from Corona and who knew from how many other kingdoms too?

Nope. Pascal was stuck going along with Eugene in his Flynn persona.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The show is...over? Like it just doesn't feel...real?? Well, I had a whole lot of emotions about it and I just had to write some stuff and I'm working on another one-shot that I'm hoping to have up by the end of this week and I just can't believe it's over 😭😭😭😭 but, now we are moving on to the era of fanfics and I'm excited about that!
> 
> Thank you always for your kudos/comments! Every single one is such an encouragement and I love them all and thank you so much! Let me know what you think about this new chapter!! 💕💕

They made it to Vardaros by afternoon the next day. They were running behind schedule according to Flynn’s plan, but it was fine.

Okay, not really, but what was there he could do about it?

Besides, he hadn’t managed to find any more food on the road and the bread he had grabbed ended up being moldy and he was _hungry_. He picked off the moldy bits and ate the rest, but it still wasn't enough.

Making sure his hood concealed his face well, he went into a pub at the edge of town. A place where the majority of the upstanding citizens avoided at all cost. He didn’t have any money to buy food, but if he ate fast enough and went when it was busiest with other criminals, he could eat a quick meal and slip out before the owner came to settle the account.

He learned a long time ago that when he finally ate after going a day or two without anything, to _not_ inhale his food. It would only end with a stomach ache and on bad days, he’d end up throwing it all up too.

But even knowing this information, it was hard for Flynn to not take enormous bites and fill his mouth completely.

Frog stretched out on the table, walking up and down and stretching his legs after spending so much time cramped in Flynn’s pocket.

“You good on food?” Flynn asked, knowing Frog hadn’t been out enough to catch flies while on their journey. It hadn't rained like the first day after leaving that tower. But it had been drizzling on and off and Frog didn't seem to like the weather. He had spent most of the time in Flynn's pocket.

Frog gave a small chirrup and shrugged. But his eyes weren’t on Flynn, instead, scanning the room for what Flynn assumed would be his next meal.

Seconds later, his tongue shot out and to grab two mosquitoes at once.

Flynn nodded in approval, not wanting his small travel companion to go hungry either.

When he finished his own meal, Flynn looked around for the owner, saw him stuck in a conversation with two other men, with his back perfectly turned towards him. Now was the perfect chance for him to slip out.

“You hear about Strongbow’s latest plan?”

“Do I really wanna know?”

The conversation the men at the table behind him were having immediately caught his attention. They were talking about Lance Strongbow. The same man he was here to find. He glanced at the owner, making sure he was still busy, before sitting back down in his seat to listen.

The first man that spoke scoffed. “Yeah, don’t know what it’s going to take for him to understand his plans without Rider never go well.”

The two chuckled in agreement and Flynn himself wanted to agree. But he said nothing and continued to listen to the conversation.

“Says he’s robbing the Baron tonight.”

Flynn felt his heart drop. The Baron? What was Lance thinking?!

He didn’t bother listening to the rest of the conversation. The owner was begin shuffle his weight from one foot to the other, signaling that he was now trying to get out of the conversation he was having.

He motioned for Frog to get back in his pocket again, and as it began drizzling again, Flynn snuck out of the pub, looking for a place to hide out until tonight.

* * *

Flynn mostly hung out on the roof tops the rest of the day. If people saw him, they assumed he was fixing something and had a hood on to protect himself from the rain. He did managed to stay mostly dry, even ducking under a balcony later in the day to get some sleep before tonight.

Frog was free to roam about, but he decided to stick close to Flynn, staying snuggled in his pocket or perched on his shoulder. At one point, he even buried himself under Flynn’s hair.

“Hey! You’re going to ruin my hair! Do you know how long it takes to make sure every strand is perfectly in place?”

Frog just hummed in response, not moving from the small nest he made out of Flynn’s hair.

If Flynn were honest, he didn’t know why he hadn’t gotten rid of the frog a long time ago. There was just something about the animal…maybe the way he was always squeaking and jumping and chirruping as if having an entire conversation with Flynn. Flynn of course never actually _talked_ to him. That’d be ridiculous. Talking to animals. But maybe he was talking to himself a little more than usual and voicing his thoughts. And maybe Frog would make some kind of noise in response that Flynn always took for an agreement.

Of course, that meant he had to ignore the disapproving glares and grunts that Flynn did understand as Frog contradicting him. But he couldn’t actually understand any words from the animal, so Flynn was well within his rights to believe Frog agreed with him in everything.

Once the sun had set on the gloomy day, Frog burrowed himself into Flynn’s pocket again and quickly fell asleep.

With the darkness that night brought, and even more so considering the clouds hadn’t cleared up, Flynn finally climbed down from the roof he was currently hanging out on, and began walking through the streets.

Some people were still out, but as the minutes passed which then turned into hours, the streets grew quieter and quieter until it was just Flynn walking around in the shadows.

He was glad Frog was asleep right now though since he was sure Frog would most definitely not agree with the actions Flynn was about to take. Flynn himself didn’t agree with the actions he was going to have to take.

But he needed to find Lance and then he could get moving on the next part of his plan.

It wasn’t hard moving along the shadows. Vardaros had terrible street-lighting and almost all the homes and shops were dark now. Still, Flynn made sure to stick close to the buildings and keep his hood concealing his face.

He heard a clock tower strike two in the morning and Flynn figured now was when Lance would be robbing the Baron.

He went down an alley, jumped over some boxes to climb up on the roofs, ran over a few houses, slide down a gutter, ran across an open garden while holding his breath and praying no one would see him.

Of course, once he made it across the garden, he heard a group of Baron's personal guards beginning to round the corner. He quickly ran to a tree and jumped up on its limbs, hoping the guards wouldn’t actually look up into the tree.

They walked right past the tree, talking about some new pub that opened and the pros and cons of going to that place over their regular pub.

Flynn waited until he was sure that they were gone, before dropping down from the tree.

That last jostle must’ve finally woken up Frog, although Flynn was surprised he hadn’t woken up earlier.

Frog poked his head out of the pocket, rubbing his eyes as his vision adjusted to the dark. He gave a small squeak and looked up at Flynn.

Flynn brought a finger to his lips, indicating the need to be absolutely quiet.

Frog gave a quick nod and lowered back down into the pocket, but still peeked out a little.

Flynn turned a corner in the garden and ran up to a lattice leaning against the outside wall. He started climbing with ease and climbed over the balcony edge.

_And there she was. But gagged and chained and pulling and something was horribly wrong and it was only confirmed by the burning he could feel in his side-_

Flynn squeezed his eyes shut as he gripped his side and reminded himself that he was fine and that nothing was wrong and Patchy probably gave him a concussion.

Frog gave a small squeak. _"Are you okay?"_

Flynn looked down at him. “I’m fine,” he grumbled in response before walking inside the castle.

Then he paused and stared down at Frog. “Did I just understand you?” he whispered.

Frog blinked a few times before turning his mouth up into a wide grin and he squeaked and chirped even more...

And Flynn just shook his head. “Okay, maybe it was just a fluke because I have no idea what you just said right now.”

Frog let out what sounded like his most exasperated sigh yet before dropping back down into the pocket, not bothering to peek his head out anymore.

Flynn just rolled his eyes at the animal as he started walking down the halls. He kept close to the shadows and every time he heard the hint of someone possibly walking through the halls, he always managed to find a perfect hiding spot, behind a pillar or some curtains or an alcove. He would wait five minutes before beginning his trek down the halls again.

Finally, he came to a staircase that led down several floors. And at the very bottom, he could see a light from a torch.

Flynn shook his head. “This is why I was always the mastermind. Because then he makes rookie mistakes like this.”

Frog gave a questioning squeak, but Flynn didn’t respond, choosing to slide down the banister in order to save time and energy. Once at the bottom, he grabbed the torch and waved it around to grab the attention of the man hunched over in the very back of the vault, filling a bag with jewels and coins.

“Lance!” Flynn hissed. “Are you _trying_ to get caught?!”

Lance dropped the bag, spilling all of its contents to the floor and spun around. His face split into a wide grin. “Flynn!” he called out.

“Shh!” Flynn hissed again, hurrying towards Lance with the torch still in hand. “What are you doing breaking into the _Baron’s_ vault?!”

Lance didn’t answer Flynn’s question. Instead, he threw his arms around Flynn’s shoulders and pulled him into a tight bear hug, making Flynn almost drop the torch. “I can’t believe you’re here! I mean, it is you right? I’m not seeing your ghost? Oh my god, what if I am and you’re haunting me?!” Lance set Flynn back down and firmly placed his hands on Flynn’s shoulders. “Wait, my hands aren’t going through you…are you a ghost?”

Flynn stared at Lance, his expression screwed up into one of complete confusion. “Ghost? Why would you think I’m a _ghost_?!”

“Because! Everyone heard about your…you know… _pending execution_.” Lance whispered the last two words, looking around as if expecting someone to overhear him.

“My _what?!”_ Flynn exclaimed, forgetting that they were supposed to not be making so much noise.

From the very top of the stairs, someone called out. “Who’s down there?!”

“Please tell me you’ve got an exit plan!” Flynn hissed, lowering his voice. Out of habit, he pocketed a handful of gold as he looked around for Lance’s exit.

Lance opened his mouth, then shut it. He shrugged a little helplessly. “Same way I came in.”

“Which was?”

At least Lance had the decency to wince. “Up the stairs and through the large balcony window in the east wing.

The same balcony Flynn had climbed through.

And up the same stairs that a group of guards was now coming down.

Flynn brought a hand up to scrub his face. “Damnit, Lance,” he grumbled, trying to come up with some other escape plan.

But he had nothing.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” Flynn said, looking back at Lance and coming up with the only possibly thing.

Except Lance wasn’t looking at him anymore.

Well, yes, technically he was still looking at him. But he was staring at the bloodstain on his vest.

Flynn covered it with his hand, ignoring an odd twinge of pain. “Focus Lance!”

“You’re hurt!”

“No, I’m not! Look, it’s…” But Flynn didn’t even know how to explain what happened. Because he didn’t know what had happened. “I’ll explain later, but right now, we have to get out!”

“How are we doing that?”

Flynn would consider Lance his oldest (and only) friend. But it was moments like this that reinforced the fact that Flynn wanted to live on an island _alone_. “Same way we came in. You ready to barrel over some guards?”

Lance closed his eyes, took a cleansing breath, then nodded eagerly. “Let’s do this!” he said, picking up the bag full of jewels and coins and making sure it was filled to capacity before tying it shut and securing it on his belt.

“On three,” Flynn said, glancing down at Frog and making sure there wouldn’t be a chance of him falling out. “One. Two-“

“Three!” Lance exclaimed, charging forward and taking the stairs two at a time.

Flynn was right behind him, watching as the larger man barreled over the majority of the guards. And the ones that managed to stay standing, Flynn fought off with the torch.

By the time they reached the top of the stairs, alarm bells were ringing and several groups of guards were charging at them from every direction.

Still they ran, dodging, sliding, punching, ducking. Until finally, they made it to the balcony.

They jumped out, the ground close enough that they wouldn’t get hurt, so long as they landed right. Besides, they were professionals. Of course they would land out of the window right.

Guards were still chasing them, but they were out of the Baron’s home. They just had to run far enough and fast enough and they would be just fine.

* * *

She could open her eyes and things weren't blurry anymore. And the first thing she saw was a white, plain ceiling.

What happened to all of her paintings?

“Rapunzel? Darling, can you hear me?”

A woman was sitting beside her. Big green eyes and brown hair and she was the most beautiful woman Rapunzel had ever seen.

A man standing by a window turned around when the woman spoke. He was so much bigger than the woman, with blue eyes that met hers.

He smiled at her, taking just a few steps closer before stopping.

Memories came rushing back to her and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and block them out. It was too painful and Rapunzel didn't think she could live with those memories.

Then she felt a hand cupping her cheek and she gasped because the last person to do that was Eugene and his hand was rough, but his touch gentle and she had grabbed his hand to hold it and he held it back, right up until the moment that it went slack in her hands and he gave one last exhale and-

She shrank away from the touch. Because this hand was so much smaller and softer and it wasn’t his.

The woman pulled back a little. “ _Are_ you Rapunzel?” she asked slowly.

And Rapunzel’s first instinct was to say no. Because people only wanted her for her hair. Even Mot- _Gothel_.

But not Eugene. Never Eugene. But he wasn’t…

Rapunzel bit her lip, trying her best not to cry.

The man quickly crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “Rapunzel…”

And then she remembered seeing that mosaic of the royal family. Of her as a baby with blonde hair and crown on her head, with her parents holding her proudly.

These were her parents. Her _actual_ parents. Her father and…

Rapunzel swallowed hard, She didn’t think she could ever bring herself to call someone else ‘Mother’ again.

And when she looked at the woman, there still seemed to be a hint of suspicion and maybe she didn’t believe Rapunzel. But this man, her father, he seemed to know that she was Rapunzel. Their daughter.

He also seemed to know that she needed a hug, because he opened his arms just a little wider for her.

She sat up and buried her face in this man’s chest. Her head swam with the sudden movement and she even felt nauseated, but she didn’t release her grip. She just buried herself further into his arms, feeling her shoulders beginning to shake with sobs. Because these were her parents. Her real parents.

And this moment was supposed to be happy. Maybe with tears still, but they were supposed to be happy tears.

Eugene was supposed to be here too. But instead, he was at the tower. Still. Cold.

 _Gone_.

Her tears weren't tears of happiness.

She felt the woman joining them in the hug, whispering soft words of comfort and kissing the top of her head and Rapunzel wanted to tell her not to do that because that’s what Mother did and she didn’t want to think about that woman and her lies and how she had taken away Rapunzel’s dream.

The exhaustion in her body came back and they seemed to notice. Her father gently pulled back and eased her back down on the bed. Her eyes became heavy again from all the crying.

“I…” Rapunzel opened her mouth to speak, but her voice came out raspy, her throat sore from not being used in a while.

“Shh, it’s all right. You’re here. You’re safe now,” the man said.

But still Rapunzel shook her head. She had to tell them. She had to go back. She had to get him and…

He had to be put to rest.

“I have to go back,” Rapunzel finally managed to say.

“Go back where?” the woman asked.

But Rapunzel closed her eyes, exhaustion taking over again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all....I'm super excited for the next chapter....it's going to be soooo good. But of course, this chapter had to be posted first, which I still had a lot of fun writing 😅 
> 
> Thank you everyone for your comments/kudos! Let me know what you think of this chapter! 💕

Lance’s hide out was a cave right outside of the town. It was dry and tall enough to have a small fire without smoke suffocating the space.

“You’re sure there isn't a bear in here?” Flynn asked, peeking outside the mouth of the cave to make sure they really did lose the guards. They had been running for almost an hour, hiding and trying to make sure there wasn't anyone around that could point the guards in their direction.

Lance scoffed, gathering some kindling from the back of the cave to start a fire. “Do you really have such little faith in me?”

Flynn crossed his arms and turned back to look at Lance. “I found out you were robbing the Baron’s tonight after some random man started talking about it in a pub already on the road leading out of Vardaros.”

Lance winced, using the flint to start up a fire. He gently blew the flame until it caught on to the kindling and placed a piece of wood over it for the fire to grow. “Okay, so maybe I did make that announcement…” Lance said, sitting down on the ground and warming up his hands. “But it’s because everyone was saying you would be dead come morning and I was going to get some bail money and get you out of there and…”

Suddenly, Flynn was wrapped up in another one of Lance’s bear hugs. “Don’t do that to me again! You really had me scared this time and I don’t like being scared like that!”

Flynn just let his arms dangle in Lance’s embrace. With his face squished up against Lance’s chest, he did manage to grumble out. “I don’t know why you believed any of those people. I’m obviously _not_ in jail.”

Lance set Flynn down and stared at him for a few moments.

Flynn didn’t like the way he was looking at him. As if he might disappear at any moment.

“So how’d you do it? How’d you escape?” Lance finally asked, sitting down on the ground again.

Flynn rubbed the back of his neck as he sat across from Lance. “I already told you. I was never _in_ jail.”

Lance blinked once. “Yeah, I don’t believe you.”

Flynn stammered. “You wanna know what happened? Stabbington’s and I took the crown, we were running from the guards, then next thing I know, I’m waking up in a tower in the middle of nowhere, chained to a post, the crown gone and the Stabbington’s nowhere in sight. They double-crossed me!” He didn’t mention the hair or the blood. He couldn't explain either of those things and he knew Lance wouldn't let either of those things go without an explanation.

He was already going to have to come up with an explanation for the blood on his vest anyways. Why bring more blood into this?

Lance frowned. “How could they have done that though? They were arrested the same night you were.”

Flynn swallowed hard. On its own accord, his hand went to his side, covering it as he felt a small twinge of pain. God, why weren't things coming into place like they were supposed to? He felt like every moment he was given new information, he was left with more questions.

Lance’s eyes followed Flynn's hand. “And _what’s with all the blood_?!”

Flynn let out a breath. “It’s not mine.” At least, he hoped it wasn’t. But he didn’t even have a scratch on him! How could it be his?

Lance opened his mouth to probe more, but Frog chose that moment to poke his head out of Flynn’s pocket and let out a questioning squeak.

The sound led to Lance letting out a squeak of his own. One of pure delight. “You got a _pet_?!”

Flynn scowled, but held out his hand for Frog to climb on so he could be placed on the ground. “He’s not a pet and he’s not mine. He just…” Flynn shrugged, while looking down at Frog.

Frog, in turn, was looking at him expectantly.

“He was there when I woke up.” And again, Flynn found himself wondering what the small animal before him had seen.

The explanation was enough for Lance because he was crouched on the ground, propping his head up with his hands as he admired Frog. “Look at him! He’s so _fancy!”_ He reached a finger out to give Frog’s head a small little pat.

But Frog opened his mouth and bit Lance’s outstretched finger.

Lance immediately sat back, holding his finger close to him. “Hey! That hurt!” Lance stuck the finger in his mouth to soothe the stinging. “I do not like your choice of companion," he said after popping his finger out to make sure it was still intact.

Flynn shook his head as he looked at Frog. He was staring back at Flynn with something that looked close to a smirk.

“Yeah, well, it’s not really by choice. He’s the one following me around.”

“But you still let him hang out in your vest pocket.”

Flynn didn’t respond to Lance’s comment. Changing the subject he said, “So how much did you manage to pocket from the Baron’s?”

Lance grinned, getting up and grabbing the bag of gold. He emptied it out in front of Flynn. “Definitely enough to bail someone out of jail.”

Another comment that Flynn didn’t acknowledge. “Great. We’ll buy some supplies. Definitely get some food. A new outfit for me. And then we’ll head to Corona and get the crown back.”

Lance laughed. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

Flynn frowned. “Why are you being so negative? We’ll get in exactly how I did it with the Stabbington’s and if they really are in jail, like you say they are, then we don’t need to worry about them. It’s the perfect plan.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

Flynn narrowed his eyes. It was rare for Lance to actually show this much concern over a job. He almost always jumped in headfirst without even thinking of any consequences. An example: his recent escapade to the Baron’s. If he was worried about something, then it had to be a huge issue. “Then what _are_ you worried about?” he asked, his voice sounding more annoyed than concerned.

“The crown now has a head to rest upon.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The lost princess. She’s back.”

* * *

Three days had passed since their-

No, Arianna didn’t want to even think the word. Because what if they were wrong? This wouldn’t be the first time. Or the second or third or…

She closed the book in her hands. She hadn’t even turned a page for the last five minutes. Instead, she kept her eyes on the young girl lying on the bed.

Except she wasn’t a young girl anymore. Eighteen years had passed. She had turned into a young lady.

And Arianna hadn’t been there for any of it.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips, reaching out to brush away some of the cropped hair out of her face. The fever hadn’t come back. But still, she slept.

When Arianna said her name, when she first opened those green eyes of hers, she was almost certain that she responded to it.

“Rapunzel, it’s time to wake up dear,” Arianna whispered.

She didn’t stir.

Fred was certain this was their daughter. Pointing out all the similarities in her face, her eyes once she opened them.

But Arianna couldn’t move past her hair. Her hair that had been so long for a baby, the color of the sun, just like the flower that had saved both of their lives.

Yes, it had been _years_ since she was taken from them, but for her hair to change so drastically within that time? Arianna couldn’t believe it.

It was too good to be true.

She had learned a long time ago if something was too good, it almost always was never true.

She took a deep breath and got up, moving to stand by the window where Fred would normally stand. The only reason he wasn’t there at that moment was because the citizens still needed their king. Nigel had done his best to hold court in his place, but it wasn’t the same.

“Go,” Arianna had told him when Nigel came for him. “I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

She had hoped that by the second hour, she could send word that she was awake again, that Arianna had spoken with her, that she had found out once and for all who she was.

It was now six hours since Fred had left to go hold court and her eyes had stayed closed

She showed signs of waking up, giving small whimpers, tossing and turning in her sleep. Even once, Arianna swore she heard her whisper a name.

“Eugene…”

But Arianna couldn’t be sure if that’s what she actually said, or if she had been mumbling nonsense.

One thing Arianna did know for sure was that her sleep was not peaceful.

Arianna stared out the window and took a deep breath. She could see all of Corona before her and if she squinted, she could just make out a tiny bit of the land that lay beyond Corona’s walls. It was drizzling outside. The sun hadn’t come out in three days.

There were whispers in the castle of bad omens. Corona hardly ever went a day without seeing the sun. Now it had been three and there seemed to be no sign of a break in the clouds.

While staring out the window, she heard a sniffle and movement coming from the bed. Arianna turned and saw her eyes open, looking around as she tried sitting up.

She hurried back to the bedside and placed her hands on the young lady’s shoulders easing her back down on the bed.

She stared at Arianna, her green eyes bloodshot. She opened her mouth to say something, but Arianna quieted her.

“Shh, it’s all right. You’re safe.”

She let herself be laid back down, but she shook her head at Arianna’s words. “No…” Her voice was still hoarse from not being used. “He’s…he’s…” Her eyes filled with tears.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. _You’re_ okay.” Arianna pursed her lips. “Rapunzel?”

Her wide green eyes met Arianna’s at the name.

“Is that your name? Rapunzel?” Arianna asked again. She had to know. She had to know whether or not it was okay to have this hope in her heart.

She gave a small nod. “Are you…?” Her whispered question faded, still staring at Arianna.

Arianna reached out and cupped her face. She still shied away from the touch, but not as much as the first time she woke up. And even though there was still so much doubt in her heart mingled with hope, she _wanted_ to believe that this was her daughter. Finally home at last.

“I think so,” Arianna responded, her voice quiet.

The tears pooling in her eyes began to fall. “I don’t…I _can’t_ …call you moth…”

Arianna grabbed her hands and gave them a light squeeze. “You don’t have to. Not until you’re ready.”

And maybe by the time she was ready, Arianna might fully believe this was her daughter too.

“Rapunzel, can you stay awake a little longer? Let me send for your father so you can tell us what happened.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, pulling her hands away from Arianna’s and moving to try and get up. “I…no, I can’t…I…I have to go back.”

“Darling, please.” Arianna tried to still her movements. “You have to rest. You still aren’t well enough to get up.”

But still she fought against Arianna’s hands. “I have to go back. He’s…he’s waiting and I…”

“Who’s waiting, darling?”

Rapunzel opened her eyes again, tears still streaming down her face. She whispered a name. “Eugene.”

Then she crumbled into sobs, curling into a ball. When Arianna reached out to place a comforting hand on her back, Rapunzel shied away from the touch.

But then she remembered how she had let Fred hold her when she first woke up.

Arianna got up and went to open the door of the room.

The guards standing post straightened and looked at their queen.

“Send for King Frederick. Tell him she’s awake again and we need him here.”

* * *

_It was so bright. The sun was warm on his face and he couldn’t remember feeling this carefree before._

_Then she turned to look at him and smiled, her eyes squinting a little at the brightness and because her smile was just that big._

_Now it was even brighter with her smile. And he smiled back at her, his smile just as wide as hers._

_But then there was a crash of thunder and her smile was gone. She was gagged. Pulling at chains as she screamed behind the gag, trying to reach out and warn him._

_It was too late when he finally understood the warning. The pain, sharper than anything he had ever felt. He hit the ground with a cry._

_Her screams grew louder and he saw her through his blurred vision, being dragged down, down, down…_

_Then rough hands stained with his blood began shaking him, gray eyes glaring at him. “Wake up, Flynn. Wake up!”_

* * *

A clap of thunder woke Pascal. He blinked a few times, stretching and clearing away the sleep from his mind. He looked over to see Lance was still asleep and Eugene...

Pascal gulped when he saw Eugene. He was asleep too, but not at all peacefully. He was groaning in his sleep, curling in on himself and holding his side tightly. Pascal tried nudging him, slapping his face with his tail. He even shot his tongue out into Eugene’s ear.

But he was too deep in whatever nightmare he was having.

So Pascal ran across the cave to where Lance was sleeping. He woke up easily with a quick slap to the face.

Lance shot up. “Huh? What? I don’t have the gumberries.”

Pascal jumped and squeaked to grab Lance’s attention. _“Eugene! He’s having a nightmare and won’t wake up! You have to wake him up!”_

Lance just stared at Pascal with a frown. “Um…you’re hungry?”

Pascal rolled his eyes and pointed his tail to Eugene.

Lance’s eyes widened as he scrambled to get up and run over to Eugene. He put his hands on Eugene’s shoulders and began shaking him. “Wake up, Flynn. Wake up!”

And Eugene did wake up.

But he reached for his dagger and now he was pinning Lance to the ground, his dagger pressed against Lance’s throat and his face twisted into a snarl.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Lance exclaimed, trying to hold his hands up in surrender. “Flynn! Buddy! Old pal! It’s me! It’s just me! Lance!”

Eugene was breathing heavily. There didn’t seem to be any kind of recognition in Eugene’s eyes. Pascal slowly crept forward with a small chirrup. _“Eugene? It’s okay. It’s us.”_

The sound drew Eugene’s gaze to Pascal. Still, no recognition. But then his eyes did fill with confusion and he squeezed them shut.

“Flynn?”

He opened eyes again to look at Lance. He inhaled sharply, dropping his dagger and backing away from Lance. “Lance, I…” he gave his head a small shake, trying to clear whatever thoughts were clouding his mind.

“You were having a pretty bad nightmare, huh?” Lance said as he sat up, rubbing his neck where Flynn had held his dagger.

Flynn swallowed hard, standing up and rubbing his eyes. “I’m sorry, Lance. I…I need some air,” he mumbled before grabbing his cloak walking out of the cave.

Lance and Pascal exchanged a quick look before Pascal hurried after Eugene.

It was raining again. He would much rather stay in the cave and stay dry. But he promised Rapunzel he would stay with Eugene.

Pascal continued on into the rain, following Eugene all the way to the small stream where he stopped to splash water on his face.

Eugene let out a deep breath as he sat back, pulling the hood up further over his head to try and keep mostly dry.

_“You okay?”_ Pascal asked.

Eugene looked down at him, barely realizing that Pascal had followed him outside. “Hey, what are you doing out here? You don’t like the rain,” Eugene said as he scooped Pascal up and let him sit on his shoulder.

_“I’m worried about you.”_

“Yeah, I wish it’d stop raining too.”

Pascal harrumphed. _“That’s not what I said.”_

Eugene pursed his lips. “I think I’m losing my mind, Frog,” he said softly. “Things aren’t lining up and…these nightmares too. They always feel way too real.”

_“You’re dreaming about what happened in the tower, aren’t you? About when you died?”_

Eugene looked at Pascal and for a moment, Pascal thought that maybe he understood what he said. Instead, he said. “Well, the day’s not getting any younger. If we’re going to steal the crown back, we need to get a move on already.”

Pascal was going to have to figure out how to communicate with Eugene soon. Hopefully, before they made it to Corona.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much writing this chapter!! I just kept flowing and I'm excited with how it came out! I just I hope I got the king and queen's characterization right. Ugh, those two are always my main concern. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! And thank you everyone for your kind words and encouragement and kudos! Let me know what you think of this chapter 💕

Flynn didn’t want to admit it, but his head was hurting. Just a dull throb in the back of his head that he could easily ignore if it went away within a few hours. But it had been there since he’d woken up and now they were settling down for camp after what little sunshine there had been in the day disappeared.

And his head still hurt.

Lance was…he loved Lance. He was practically a brother.

But Flynn forgot just how much Lance could talk! And he seemed extra chatty today. Not even the rain could keep him from talking.

Flynn wondered if Lance’s incessant talking was part of the reason his headache wouldn’t go away.

An hour after being on the road though, a thought occurred to Flynn.

What if Lance was talking so much because of what happened this morning when he woke up?

They hadn’t talked about it when Flynn came back to the cave. Not for lack of trying on Lance’s part.

“So…seems like nightmares are a new personality trait with you.”

Flynn didn’t even look at Lance. “We need to get horses. It’s going to take way too long for us to get to Corona on foot.”

“Yeah, but I mean, this morning…” Lance rubbed the back of his neck. “That was kind of intense don’t you think? I mean…are you okay?”

“The Stabbington’s hit me pretty hard.”

“But they’re in prison-“

“Are we going or not?”

And that was the end of the conversation.

Lance didn’t bring it up again, hence all the nervous chatter that filled the day.

They never did get horses, but at least they did find a small town and were able to buy some supplies and Flynn even managed to get a new shirt and vest. One that had pockets lined with wool.

Frog squeaked in delight as he settled into the new pocket.

“Don’t think I did it for you,” Flynn told him. “I just happen to like to have my hands warm when I have to keep them in my pockets.”

Flynn wanted to find an inn where they could stay the night. Have a nice warm bed, maybe even a bath if they paid the extra fee.

“We’re not staying at an inn,” Lance replied to Flynn's suggestion.

“Why not? We obviously have enough money for one night.”

“Um, don’t you remember that not only are we both wanted criminals, but you actually just escaped from Corona’s prison, so everyone’s on the lookout for you right now.”

Flynn narrowed his eyes, wanting to argue again that he was never in jail, therefore he never had to escape. But if he did, that would only give Lance an opportunity to probe around more, asking what exactly happened and Flynn didn’t have any answers. He probably had just as many questions as Lance.

Maybe even more.

When it was too dark to see anymore, they started looking for a dry enough place to make camp, Flynn was exhausted. Not only was his head throbbing, but his feet were too.

With how much it rained, all the wood was too wet and a fire would cause too much smoke.

It was fine.

Sort of.

Flynn had dealt with cold rainy nights before. It would just be another uncomfortable night to add to his long list.

“I’ll take first watch,” he said as Lance was clearing a small space to sleep.

“You sure? I can do that. You actually look like you could get some sleep.”

“It’s fine,” Flynn said, already getting as comfortable as possible, sitting against a tree.

_“In case you get any ideas about following us.”_

_He tried sitting up against the beam. But even the tiniest movement brought searing pain. He pressed his hand against his side, feeling himself slouching against the beam._

_“Eugene!” Her hands were on him, softly running over his face, brushing back his hair, then gently covering his own hand to move it aside to see the wound._

_He coughed, feeling his mouth filling with blood. His own blood._

_“Oh, I’m so sorry. Everything is going to be okay though.”_

_He reached out to push her hand away. “No, Rapun-“_

Flynn gasped, feeling something wet in his ear. “What is your problem?” he scowled, rubbing his ear where Frog had stuck his tongue in.

Frog squeaked and jumped off of Flynn’s shoulder. He jumped a few times, still squeaking and chattering.

“You okay, Flynn?”

“I’m _fine_ ,” he responded, looking away from Frog to Lance.

Lance was starting at him with the same concern he had this morning when he woke Flynn up from his nightmare.

“You kind of spaced out…”

“I said I’m _fine_ ,” Flynn repeated. He ignored how the throbbing in his head had grown and the sharp pain in his side returned. “Get some sleep already, Lance. We have to get up early tomorrow and find some horses.”

Lance looked ready to say something else, but Flynn got up and walked away, claiming he was going to check the area and make sure there wasn’t anyone around.

Frog had climbed into his pocket again and was with Flynn as he walked away from the make-shift campsite.

Flynn let out a small groan, rubbing the back of his neck in the hopes of providing some relief to his headache.

Frog poked his head out of the pocket and gave a small squeak.

Flynn glanced down at him. “What? Are you going to try and poke around and ask what’s wrong with me? Ask me for explanations that I don’t have?!” he snapped. “I bet that’s you’re doing anyways, with all that squeaking and changing colors and-“

He stopped talking as he saw the glare Frog was giving him.

Flynn let out a deep breath. He cupped his hand for Frog to climb into his palm and settled him on his shoulder. “You know, Frog, I think I’m losing my mind.”

* * *

Rapunzel wanted to close her eyes. She was exhausted and couldn’t get warm and she just wanted to go to sleep because maybe in her dreams she could find him there.

When the king came in after she woke up, Rapunzel let him pull her into a hug again, crying into his chest and pretending she couldn’t see the slightly disappointed look in the queen’s eyes.

“It’s okay, Rapunzel,” he soothed, rubbing her back as she cried.

She wanted to tell him it wasn’t though. It would never be okay again. He was gone forever and she would have to move on. But she couldn’t see how it would be possible.

And once her tears calmed down, she was still awake, resting her head in the king’s lap while he continued rubbing her back gently. She bit her thumbnail, still not looking at the queen.

A young woman came in while she was still awake. She carried a tray with some hot soup and placed it on the nightstand. She glanced at Rapunzel and gave her a quick smile before turning to give the king and queen a small curtsy.

Rapunzel saw her gray eyes. It reminded her of Gothel’s.

_“Now look at what you've done, Rapunzel. Oh, don't worry dear. Our secret will die with him.”_

Rapunzel squeezed her eyes shut.

“Thank you, Cassandra,” the queen said.

Cassandra gave a small nod before walking out of the room.

“Darling, why don’t you sit up? Have some soup, yes?”

She opened her eyes again to see the queen talking to her. She rubbed her face, trying to dry it a little. She slowly sat up, feeling the king’s hands guiding her.

This man was her father. She looked up at him and managed to give him a tiny smile of thanks.

But when the queen placed the tray in Rapunzel’s lap, Rapunzel barely managed to mumble a thank you.

_“You know how I hate the mumbling.”_

Rapunzel cleared her throat. “Thank you,” she said, making her voice sound stronger.

The queen gave her a curious look before offering a smile.

Rapunzel had no appetite. She managed a couple spoonfuls of broth, but that was it. She couldn’t stay here any longer. She had to go back.

But before she could open her mouth, the king spoke up.

“Rapunzel, can you tell us…what happened?”

She didn’t look at him. She didn’t want to tell him. Either of them. Because then it would make it all true. There really would be no changing fate’s design.

Her eyes filled with tears again. She didn’t know how it was possible for her to have this many tears still left in her.

But she supposed when your dream died…a part of you died along with it.

Because that’s exactly how she felt.

She swallowed hard and when she opened her mouth, all the words bottled up inside of her spilled out, mingling with her tears and her lost dream.

* * *

Frederic let out a deep breath as he closed the door behind him. He faced the door a little while longer because he knew as soon as he turned to look at Arianna, he would have to deal with her anger.

They had their daughter back. Everything was supposed to be okay now. They could be a happy, _whole_ family again. He would show her everything she missed, teach her everything she needed to know to lead this kingdom well.

It hadn’t been his plan to deny her something after just getting her back.

“You can _not_ do this to her,” Arianna said, not waiting for him to look at her.

He squeezed the door handles tightly before releasing them. “We’ve only just got her back. I will not lose her again.” He turned to face Arianna. “Besides, you still don’t believe that’s our daughter in there. Why are you then so worried about my decision?”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he would now have Arianna’s full wrath. But he didn’t take them back. Instead, he turned to the guard at the door. “Make sure she does not leave this room.”

The guard saluted him and gave no indication he was listening to their conversation.

Frederic began walking down the hall, heading towards their bedroom.

Arianna was following after him. She said nothing and he knew it was because she was gathering up all her words to throw at him once they were in the privacy of their bedroom.

Sure enough, once they were in their bedroom and he closed the door behind them, Arianna spun around and pointed a finger in his face and unloaded all of her words.

“She was locked in a tower for _eighteen_ years! And what have you decided would be a good thing to do? Lock her in another tower! Maybe I’m not completely convinced yet that she is our daughter, but I do know that that young lady in there has had a traumatic life, especially these last few days. And now you are only adding more to her trauma!”

Frederic took a deep breath. “I am doing this for her safety!”

“Then send her with a few guards, but do not prevent her from actually leaving!”

“No, Arianna. She will not go back to that tower."

“Why not? She _has_ to go and do this for herself!”

“He was a _criminal_!” Frederic finally raised his voice. “He was going to die one way or another! He was supposed to be executed that morning!”

Arianna pursed her lips. “And he was a criminal that she _loved_.”

Frederic could feel the anger growing in him. When he imagined getting his daughter back, he thought he would have so many years with her before a suitor came and swept her off her feet, taking her away from him again.

Except it happened while she was still lost. And that suitor had been Flynn Rider.

And he was actually fine with it when she kept on referring to him as Eugene.

Her face would light up briefly as she talked about him. How they ran around the capital, right under their noses, showing her all the wonders of Corona and taking her out on a boat to see the lanterns. _Her_ lanterns. How they were separated and just before that witch could take her away forever, he came back for her, saving her life at the cost of his own.

“Did he have a family?” Frederic had asked her once she finished her story. He would make sure this man's family was well taken care of, after everything he did for his daughter.

But Rapunzel shook her head. “He was an orphan. He…” she lifted her head to look at him. Only at Frederic.

And he knew that she actually trusted him. She hadn’t looked at Arianna like that. Probably due to how much that witch twisted the word ‘Mother’ for her.

Rapunzel wiped her eyes, even though tears were still pouring down her face. “He actually went by Flynn Rider,” she whispered.

Arianna placed a hand on Frederic’s. His wife had instantly seen how his body became rigid at the mention of the thief that had stolen the crown. _Rapunzel’s_ crown.

“I said I would go back for him. I…I can’t leave him in that tower. He-“

“You will not be returning to that tower for him,” Frederic said.

Rapunzel blinked a few times. “What…?”

“Frederic…” Arianna’s tone held a warning.

But he was king.

“The guards will retrieve his body.” His tone left no room for argument.

Still, she pressed on. “But I said that I would-“

“Rapunzel, he was a criminal. A _dangerous_ one at that. I will not have my daughter going back to retrieve his body.”

For the first time since she came back, Frederic saw a spark of fire in her eyes. “No, he…he _changed_. He was-“

“A criminal like Flynn Rider does not change. Rapunzel, he manipulated-“

“No!” Rapunzel cut him off, sitting up straight in bed and her voice stronger than ever. “He loved me and I…” Her voice cracked as she fought to say her next words.

Frederic knew what she was going to say. So he spoke again, not giving her a chance to actually voice them. “You will understand one day, Rapunzel. This is for your own good,” Frederic said as he got up. “Rest. You’ve had a difficult past few days.”

He turned his back on her and walked towards the door.

But he could hear her struggling to get up and Arianna urging her back into bed, that she was still too weak.

He only stopped to look back at her when he was about to leave the room with Arianna.

She was curled up again, crying into a pillow and whispering something.

Frederic returned his attention back to the conversation at hand. “She does not understand what love is.”

“And you think this is a good way of demonstrating it? By preventing her from doing this one last thing for him? For this Eugene?”

“His name was Flynn Rider.” Frederic growled.

“What do you plan on doing with him when the guards go for him?”

“He will have the same rights as every other criminal that’s executed. An unmarked grave off the island.”

Arianna clenched her jaw. “I’m still not sure if she really is our daughter. But I do know for sure if you do this, she will never forgive you for this if you do not make this right.”

* * *

It was a mistake coming here. Rapunzel should’ve known.

Would it have been different if Eugene was alive still? They could’ve come together. The king and queen would’ve seen that he was different. He was not the same man in those wanted posters.

But maybe they never would've understood.

The queen was right about something though. Rapunzel was still too weak to get out of bed. So as soon as they left the room, she reached for the bowl of chicken broth and finished it, even if she didn’t have an appetite.

She felt her stomach churning with how fast she ate and a few times she was afraid it was going to come up.

She managed to keep it all down and once finished, she set the bowl aside, pushed away the blankets and pillows. Taking a deep breath, she swung her feet off the bed and stood up.

Her body swayed and she had to reach out to keep her balance on the chair. She took a few cautious steps, still feeling how unsteady her legs were.

She paced the room, feeling some strength coming back to her. And she also had to take into account she didn’t have all that hair anymore. Her head felt so light and it was hard keeping her balance. But as she continued walking around the room, it became easier and she felt herself adjusting.

She walked to the window, opened it and stuck her head out. It looked as if this room was as high as the tower had been.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pushing away memories before they could distract her from what she needed to do.

She was going to have to find something to use to climb out the window. Her first thought: tie together all the blankets.

And just as she was beginning to tie the first two blankets together, the door opened.

Rapunzel dropped the blankets and stared at the person that just came in.

It was the same girl from before. Cassandra.

With her eyes that looked so much like Gothel’s.

“Princess,” she gave a small curtsey, holding the basket close to her. “The queen sent me. She thought you might need this.” Cassandra approached the bed and set the basket down.

Rapunzel eyed Cassandra carefully, then pulled back the cloth that covered the baskets contents.

It was a rope with a grappling hook.

She inhaled quickly, then looked up at Cassandra.

Cassandra gave a small shrug, undoing the laces at the back of her dress and slipping out of it to reveal a gray uniform she wore underneath. “She also thought it’d be a good idea if I accompanied you.” She took off her headpiece and shook out her cropped, black, curly hair.

Rapunzel swallowed hard. She looked even more like Gothel now.

Cassandra shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Unless you don’t want me to come…?”

But she was going to need a guide to get out of the city. And some help too when they would have to bring his…

Rapunzel pushed that thought out of her mind. She would think about that when the time came.

“No, of course you can. I…I don’t know the way out of the city.”

Cassandra nodded. “I’ve got you covered. And I know all the guards routes too. We won't run into any of them.”

Rapunzel took a deep breath and climbed out of bed again. She grabbed the rope, made sure the hook was secure on the window ledge and the threw the rope out.

Just before she could start climbing out, Cassandra stopped her

“Are you sure you don’t want to put shoes on?”

* * *

Max had been waiting for them just across the bridge.

“He was there too, right? I figured if you couldn’t remember the way, then Max might be able to help out.” Cassandra said, helping Rapunzel get on Max’s back.

Rapunzel buried her face into Max’s mane. She could feel tears building up again, but she couldn’t cry. Not right now.

Cassandra jumped on behind her and they rode into the forest. It wasn’t raining like the last time Rapunzel was outside. But it was drizzling.

For the most part, she managed to stay dry, with only her feet getting wet with the mud that Max kicked up while he ran.

It felt as if it was taking ages to get to the tower, but when Max slowed down and walked into the small cave and came out to face the tower, it felt as if they had just left the city gates.

Rapunzel slipped off Max and stared at the tower before her. She shivered a little, pulling the cloak closer around her. Rapunzel felt so cold.

But she also felt a small twinge of dread. Because she knew exactly what waited for her at the top of the tower.

She wasn’t sure if she was ready to face that reality again.

“You don’t have to do this. We can go back and send some guards to take care of it,” Cassandra said.

Rapunzel turned to look at Cassandra and for the first time since leave the castle, she realized that the queen must’ve told her enough to know this was the only place and the last place Rapunzel wanted to be. “No, I have to be the one to do it,” Rapunzel said softly.

Besides, the king had already said the guards would take care of it tomorrow anyways. Except they would handle him as Flynn Rider, thief and wanted criminal. Not like Eugene Fitzherbert, the man who loved and saved her.

She took a deep breath and began walking towards the tower with Cassandra following behind her.

Climbing up the stairs, her feet felt like lead. She knew that as soon as she made it to the top, she would have to begin her goodbyes, figure out how to move on.

But she knew she would never be able to find a new dream.

She swallowed hard, reaching the last step. She wanted to close her eyes and pretend that maybe she would find something different. Maybe he would be sitting up, eyes open and a smile on his face, asking what took her so long. Maybe he would’ve picked the lock on the chains and cleaned up and had cupcakes waiting for her because Pascal told him she was coming back. Maybe she would lie next to him and he would be warm and pull her close to him and she wouldn’t feel so cold anymore.

Rapunzel finally took that last step and climbed out into the main floor of the tower.

And he wasn’t there.

Cassandra came up behind her, looking around the room and she was sure she was making a comment about the place, the hair, the blood.

But Rapunzel didn’t hear a word she said.

She could only focus on the fact that Eugene wasn’t there anymore. The blood was still there, but he wasn’t.

And Pascal wasn’t there either.

She fought the growing feeling in her heart that felt almost like hope, but it became stronger with every passing second.

Eugene was gone. And maybe that meant he was alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr! nachocheese-itsmycheese.tumblr.com


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